Conservation Resources 



H. G. WRITTIER, 



{3lAM0ND JeW^ER. 

ePv iJuff oKMoi^tmerif of 

Diamonds and Fancy Colored Gems, with and 

without Mountings, constantly 

on hand. 



ROOM 2, 

-UP ONE FLIGHT ONLY,- 



^-t^ 



Directly opposite Boston Store. 



HOT "1 ^ lolitj Copyrighted 1886 by H. C Whittier. '^I ''-' 

Uo\ -i-v louv. „ ^^^ 




y 






" strange children of the dark and gloomy mine I 
Ye radiant jewels^ bright as Sheba's eyes. 
That flame with colors of such passionate dyes 
As rainbows cannot match, nor sunset skies. 

Though born of darkness where no sun can shine." 



CB /d-%S 



*f*# ■«»>*"' 



©Kg §)m£aond. 

Hardness 10. Specific Gravity 3"5. 



Wp^HE diamond cutters of India call a rough diamond " Labora," 
a^ because its beauty cannot be developed except by skillful and 
patient work. The art of cutting a diamond was not brought into Europe 
from the East until 1295. A few centuries later, Louis de Berquen, 
of Bruges, discovered that diamond dust was better for the task than 
corundum, which until then had been used by the French lapidaries ; 
and Vincenzio Peruzzi, of Venice, in the latter half of the 17th cent- 
ury, for the first time cut a diamond into a brilliant, that is, with 
thirty-three facets above, and twenty-five below the girdle. The pro- 
cess has been made, by the application of steam power, much less 
expensive, and a diamond can now be cut in a few days when by the 
old method of hand labor alone it would take months. It cost five 
thousand pounds, and two years labor to cut the famous Regent 
diamond in 171 2; the Kohinoor was re-cut in England in 1862 in 
thirty-eight days, at a cost of eight thousand pounds. 

The purchaser of a diamond, or any precious stone, should remem- 
ber that its value depends in no slight degree on the artistic quahty of 
the lapidary's work upon it, and that it is always better to buy of a 
dealer who has had practical experience in these matters directly with 
the diamond cutter, than of one whose knowledge is merely theoretical. 
Diamonds are found in nearly every part of the world, but the most 
famous mines are the Golconda in India, the Lerro di Frio and Matto 
Grosso of Brazil, and the Kimberly, Dutoits Pan, and Jagersfontein 
of Africa. The stones taken from the last-mentioned mine, which has 



been recently opened, are of surpassing purity, and already command 
fancy prices in the market. 

Diamonds occur in nearly all colors, the three shades most in demand 
being blue white, steel white, and pure white. The steel white has no 
perceptible color, but their lustre resembles that of polished steel. 
They are rare Indian stones and always obtain fancy prices. A blue 
white stone has only the faintest tinge of blue. The most complete 
collection of colored diamonds in the world is in the Vienna Museum. 
Their order in regard to rarity and value is as follows: blue, red, 
green, white, olive, black, fire colored, yellow. The blue diamond 
when perfect in color, which must be darker and unlike the soft vel- 
vety shade of the sapphire, is the rarest of precious stones, and has 
only been found in the mines of India. A coal black diamond weigh- 
ing 350 carats, was exhibited at the World's Fair in London, in 185 1, 
as a great curiosity. It was so hard that it resisted every effort made 
to polish it. 

An English jeweler, who had a truly artistic love for his profession, 
once spent ten years in collecting diamonds that could serve to form 
an ornament in the shape of a spray of flowers. This unique jewel is 
mentioned in an English work on precious stones, with regret that the 
price received for it did not show a just appreciation of its beauty. It 
would meet with more prompt approval and praise now, when the in- 
creased demand for fancy stones of every kind proves a growing love 
for them among purchasers of gems. The old behef that the diamond 
would endow its wearer with constancy and purity made it the favorite 
stone for the betrothal ring. Its brilliancy and its immortality give it a 
strong claim to its place as the first of all precious stones, a rank it has 
held for centuries and will hold for many more as the most brilliant 
and peerless object in nature. 



R^bieg. 



Hardness 9. Specific Gravity 4. 

W^HE color of a perfect ruby matches exactly in shade the blood of 
te^ a freshly killed pigeon, and its purity is often tested by placing 
it beside a drop of pigeon's blood. It owes its color to the fact that 
one-sixth part of its chemical constitution is chromic acid. There are 
four kinds of rubies : The oriental ruby, blood red in color and but 
little inferior to the diamond in hardness or the power to receive by 
polishing a brilliant vitreous lustre ; the spinel ruby, rose red in color ; 
the balas-ruby, pale in color and of but little value ; and the rubicelle, 
which is an inferior variety of the spinel, and yellowish red in color. The 
finest rubies come from the kingdom of Pegu, in Burmah, and as this 
province has now become an English possession, London will probably 
be the most famous market for these jewels, as it already is for dia- 
monds. There are comparatively few fine and large rubies in exis- 
tence. Among the English crown jewels are five, some of them of 
great historical interest ; one originally belonging to the Black Prince, 
is in the crown itself; the Lahore rubies are set in a necklace and 
bear Persian inscriptions with the dates 1070, 1125, 1153; and the 
large table ruby in the coronation ring belonged to Edward the Con- 
fessor. The ruby stands among precious stones next in rank to the 
diamond, and often, when of the same size and perfect in every respect, 
exceeds it in price. 



'Se ^meraM. 



Specific Gravity 2'7. Hardness 7"5 to S. 

The emerald burns intensely bright. 
With radiance of an olive light; 
This is the faith that highest shines^ 
No need of charity declines. 
And seeks no rest and shuns no strife. 
In working out a holy life. 

S^HE bulk of an emerald is large in proportion to its weight, one 
cM^ of equal weight with a sapphire, for instance, being nearly twice 
as large. A rich, soft, deep, velvety shade of green is the color de- 
manded for a perfect emerald, but the stone occurs in every tint from 
a greenish blue to a pinkish brown. The finest come from Peru, the 
next in quality are found in the Tyrolian Alps, in Bavaria, where they 
are cut from the steep rocks in which they are imbedded, by miners 
who are held by ropes over the frightful abyss. The ancients thought 
it a good omen to dream of an emerald and that to own one of un- 
usual perfection was sure to bring renown and success. Miss Anna 
Louise Gary owns one of the most superb emeralds known to be in the 
possession of any private person. It once belonged to Queen Isabella 
of Spain, and was bought for fifty thousand dollars at the sale of the 
jewels in Paris a few years ago. 



Hardness 9. Specific Gravity 4. 

7,^^ azure light of sapphire stone 
Resembles that celestial throne; 
A symbol of each simple heart 
That grasps in hope the better party 
Whose life each holy deed combines, 
And in the light of virtue shines. 

^I^APPHIRES come from Ceylon almost exclusively. They are 
^^1 found in other parts of the world, but never in sufficient quan- 
tity or perfection to form a market for their sale. The value of a 
sapphire does not increase in proportion to size as enormously as the 
ruby. In trade it is knovi^n by four names : The male sapphire, which 
is the perfect stone of a rich, clear, soft blue shade ; the female sap- 
phire, whose color is specked with white; the very pale blue stone 
called a water sapphire ; and the cat sapphire, which is of a blackish 
or greenish blue tint and not often transparent. The remarkable 
coldness of the sapphire to the touch, due to its density, gave rise to 
the superstition that it would extinguish fire and keep its wearer chaste 
in thought and deed, losing its beauty if worn by an evil minded per- 
son. For this supposed virtue it was chosen for the stone to be set in 
the ring worn after their installation by the Bishops of the Roman 
Church. The largest known sapphire is called the "Wooden Spoon 
Seller," from the trade of the man who was lucky enough to find it. 
It was also named the "Respoli." It was purchased by the French 
jeweler Pirrch for 6,8oo pounds, and is now in the Musee de Mineralogie 
at Paris. It weighs IZ'^^^ carats. 



'S© PearL 



59C^ LIST of jewels would be incomplete without mention of the 
^O^ pearl. Its beauty gives it place nigh to the four most precious 
stones, and it is chosen as the favorite jewel for the young, its pure 
white color making it appropriate for the delicacy of the youthful 
complexion. It is found in Ceylon, the Persian Gulf, and in many of 
the rivers of Europe, England, Scotland, South America and the 
United States. The finest, however, come from Ceylon. The Conch 
shells of Nassau yield peai-ls, sometimes of good size and purity. 
These beautiful gems are sold by weight, and the price increases rap- 
idly with size. They are very difficult to match and for this reason the 
Romans called them "unio." In rare instances they are found of 
irregular shape and are then called "perles baroque." In the Devon- 
shire cabinet is a very fine specimen of this class set to represent a 
mermaid, and another in the Green Vaults of Dresden claims to be a 
faithful likeness of the court dwarf of Charles II. of Spain. When 
pearls are hollow they are called "phantasy pearls," when of the lar- 
gest size "paragons," when they are the size of a cherry they are 
called "diadem" or "head" pearls, small ones are named "ounce' 
pearls, and the tiniest are "seed" pearls. A perfect pearl must be 
either perfectly round or pear shaped, of a pure white color, slightly 
transparent and it must possess the peculiar lustre characteristic of the 
gem. They derive nothing from art, all attempts to increase their 
beauty resulting in injury. 






Spinel Ruby. 

Hardness 8. Specific Gravity 3'5 to 4. 

S(|^HIS gem was called by the ancients carbuncle. It is most com- 
(^M^ monly red, but occurs in a great variety of shades of blue, brown 
and yellow. It is found in clay and in the sand of rivers, in Ceylon^ 
Ava and Mysore. It is cut as a brilliant, with diamond dust, and is a 
favorite gem for pendants, bracelets and necklaces. 



Alexandrite. 

Hardness 8'5, Specific Gravity 3*6. 

This is a very rare precious stone, and is at present in great de- 
mand, fashion having stamped it with approval. It is when seen by 
daylight green in color with a rich russet tinge, but artificial light will 
change it to a full deep purple shade. It is found in Siberia. 



Chrysoberyl. 

Hardness 8.5. Specific Gravity 3"5 to 3"8. 

The name of this gem is derived from the Greek and is expressive 
of its color; it is also called cymophane. Its color is asparagus and 
olive green, sometimes tinged vi^ith brown, yellow, gray or white. It 
is found in Brazil, Pegn, Ceylon and Siberia. The largest chrysoberyl 
known is in the possession of the government at Rio de Janiero. The 
specimens that occur of pure transparent color are valuable and are 
favorite stones among the Brazilians. 



Topaz. 

Hardness 8. Specific Gravity 3'4 to 3'6. 

The topaz has, when perfect, a beautiful clear wine yellow. It is 
generally cut as a brilliant and is used for all kinds of jewelry. It is 
found in almost every part of the world. In the French Imperial Bib- 
liotheque are several engraved topazes, and a very large and beautiful 
one is in the Vatican, cut with an Indian Bacchus. 



Tourmaline. 

Hardness 7 to 7"5. Specific Gravity 4 to 4*7. 

The Dutch were the first to introduce this precious stone into Eu- 
rope, importing it from Ceylon. The red tourmaline from Siberia, 
when perfect in color and transparency and highly polished, is very 
valuable. These stones have been found in Paris, Maine, but only in 
rare instances. Tourmalines are also found in other shades besides 
red. When green they are sometimes called the Brazilian emerald. 
A small but fine collection of American tourmalines are in the minera- 
logical museum of Yale College. 



Aquamarine or Beryl. 

Hardness 7 to 7'5. Specific Gravity 2*7. 

The varieties of this stone are divided as follows : Aquamarine, pure 
pale sky blue; Siberian aquamarine, pale greenish yellow; aquamarine 
chrysolite, greenish yellow with vivid lustre. The best beryls come 
from Siberia, Brazil, Scotland and France. The common varieties oc- 
cur in every part of the globe and are found in great abundance in 
the United States. 



Opal. 

Hardness 5"5 to 6'5. Specific Gravity 2 to 2'3. 

By the Red Sea the swarthy A rah gleans 
The iris, splendent with the crystal's sheen. 
Its form semi-circle, full of heaven's own light, 
Has justly gained the name of rainbow bright. 

The Precious Opal, as the stone is named that is used for jewels, is 
found in Hungary, Faroe Islands, Saxony and South America. It is 
cut in a semi-circle, lens, or oval shape, very rarely with facets. The 
best specimens must be large and display a briUiant play of color, with 
the lustre described by the Grecian poet "like the delicate complexion 
of lovely youth." The Empress Josephine possessed a unique opal 
called the "Great Fire of Troy" from its superb fire sparkles. The 
opal cannot be imitated. It defies all attempts made to counterfeit its 
beauty in paste or by using thin plates of mother-of-pearl with inferior 
stones. These false opals do not deceive the most ignorant admirer 
of gems. 



Hyacinth. 

Hardness 7'5. Specific gravity 4'3 to 4'7. 

The Oriental Hyacinth is of a deep red color, sometimes verging 
toward yellow. It is found in Ceylon, in France, in Siberia, Green- 
land and Norway. The zircon hyacinth is of a deep cinnamon, and 
is the most valuable, but is never found perfect. 



Peridot. 

Hardness 7. Specific Gravity 3'5. 

The best and most perfect crystals of Peridot come from Egypt, Va- 
tolia and Brazil. The stone is olive green in color and has vitreous 
lustre. The dark colored stones are the favorites, as they are capable 
of receiving a high polish. They are cut in rose or brilliant form gener- 
ally. Louis XIII. brought them into fashion in France and they are 
favorite jewels yet in Paris. 



Siberian Green Garnet. 

Hardness 7*5. Specific Gravity 3'5. 

The Siberian Green Garnet is composed of cilicate, calcium, alumi- 
num and chromium. Its color is due to the presence of this last metal 
in its composition. It comes from the Ural mountains in Russian 
Siberia. It is the only colored precious stone, except a certain shade 
of zircon, that is iridescent, like the diamond under gaslight. Green 
garnets are usually very small. One of 3I carats is the largest yet 
known. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



H. G. WRIT! 



e 014 522 778 1 



lioMsifeiet^riKg ©Jeoaeler, 



■^Fine Ordered Work and Nice Repairing-^ 



A SPECIALTY. 

—^ 



WOULD invite your attention to a choice and odd 
line of Novelties in Jewelry. 

R00M 2, 

Up One Flight Only, 



74 WESTMINSTER STREET. 



Directly opposite Boston Store. 



E. A, JOHNSON & CO., PRINTERS. 



Conservation Resources 
Lig-Free@ Type I 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 522 778 1 



